artwork The Top 10 Iconic

Each generation is defined by an image. Perhaps for the 90s it was the grunge movement. For the 80s, the iconic figure of Madonna. For the 70s, a techno and disco print. For the 60s, a snapshot of Woodstock and on and on. You get the idea. For every 100 years, there is an event that defines a generation and for every event, there is an image that captures that moment. While you may not agree with the imagery listed here, you cannot deny amazing the endurance of their existence in pop culture.

1

Yes We Can

Photo: via Twitter

What just might be the most influential and recognizable image of the 21st Century, the official presidential campaign poster for United States President Barack Obama has been downloaded more than any other image in the last 50 years.

The artist, Shepard Fairey, has been hailed as a visionary and pioneer of effective political propaganda, on par with "We Like Ike" and "We Want YOU, President Roosevelt, to Stay and Finish the Job" (in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor).

In this image, President Obama could either be listening intently or looking towards the f*ture. Either way, it succeeds in conveying the absolute virtue of what most campaign posters can only attempt to convey: Sincerity. Whether or not you like the man, you can't deny that the image is an effective one.

For instance, the hallmark "soft watches" that first appear in The Persistence of Memory suggest Einstein's theory that time is relative and not fixed. The idea for clocks functioning symbolically in this way came to Dali when he was staring at a runny piece of Camembert cheese on a hot day in August.

Dali was highly imaginative, and also had an affinity for partaking in unusual and grandiose behavior, in order to draw attention to himself.

So while you're staring at a print copy of Dali's works in your dentists office, think about the man behind the matte. see more on The Persistence of Memory

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